The Paleo Diet - Loren Cordain [63]
The constant need to replenish your fresh produce supply gives you a good excuse to explore new venues. Try going to local farmers’ markets in your area. They’re wonderful sources of wholesome, fresh, and delicious fruits and vegetables. They may even inspire you to try growing your own vegetables at home. Also, take this opportunity to try out-of-the-ordinary fruits and vegetables (many are included in the recipes and meal plans in this book). You may want to look for exotic produce in Asian, Far Eastern, and ethnic markets if there are any in your community. As you gradually wean yourself from salty, sugary, and starchy foods, your taste buds will become attuned to the subtle flavors and textures of wonderful real foods.
To be on the safe side, be sure to wash all produce before you eat it (even if it comes in a bag that says it’s been washed). Like fish, fresh produce can contain trace residues of pesticides, heavy metals, or other pollutants. The Food and Drug Administration has monitored the levels of contaminants in the U.S. food supply for almost forty years in a program called the Total Diet Study (you can read about it on the Web at: vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/tdstoc.html). The study, which began in 1961, periodically examines more than 230 foods from eight regional metropolitan areas to determine which hidden ingredients—and how much of them—we’re getting in our food. Since its inception, the study has found that our average daily intake of all toxic contaminants—including pesticides, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and radioactive materials—is well below acceptable limits. Of course, it would be even better if our average daily intake of contaminants were zero, and we could rest assured that our food was completely free of any pollution—but it’s pretty safe to say that this will not happen any time soon.
The bottom line is that fruits and vegetables have much to offer—antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and all the healing benefits we’ve discussed in this book. We can’t do without them; more than that, they need to play a starring role in our diet.
If you are concerned about pesticide exposure, artificial fertilizer, and other food safety issues, you may want to seek organically grown produce whenever possible, although it’s a bit more expensive
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are a good adjunct to the Paleo Diet, but they’ve got a lot of fat, so you need to eat them in moderation. Too many fatty foods—even beneficial nuts and seeds—can rapidly upset your balance of essential dietary fats and derail your weight-loss progress. Throughout the book, we’ve talked about the omegas—omega 6 and omega 3. One kind—omega 6 fats—is not good for you when eaten in excess. The other kind—omega 3 fats—can make you healthier in many ways. The ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats should be between 2 and 3 to 1. For most Americans, unfortunately, it’s between 10 and 15 to 1. All nuts and seeds—except for walnuts and possibly macadamia nuts—have unacceptably high omega 6 to omega 3 ratios. This is why you must eat them in small amounts.
Omega 6 to Omega 3 Fat Ratio in Nuts and Seeds
Nut or Seed Omega 6 to Omega 3 Ratio
Walnuts 4.2
Macadamia nuts 6.3
Pecans 20.9
Pine nuts 31.6
Cashews 47.6
Pistachio nuts 51.9
Hazelnuts (filberts) 90.0
Pumpkin seeds 114.4
Brazil nuts 377.9
Sunflower seeds 472.9
Almonds extremely high (no detectable omega 3 fats)
Peanuts (not a nut but a legume) extremely high (no detectable omega 3 fats)
But nuts are part of the Paleo Diet. They’re high in monounsaturated fats and have been shown in numerous clinical trials to lower cholesterol. This is why they’re on the diet in moderate amounts, so that you can benefit from the good things nuts have to offer. But the high quantities of omega 6 fats in these nuts can also predispose you to heart disease—because they displace the omega 3 fats, which are known to prevent fatal heartbeat irregularities, decrease blood clotting, lower blood triglyceride levels, and reduce the